Missouri Southern figured out how to stop the Emporia State offense last week.
After the Hornets ran for 191 yards in the first half, the Lions stacked the line of scrimmage and almost dared the Hornets to throw over the top. Other than a 29-yard pass from Zach Rampy to Sean Partridge — one of the few times the ESU QBs looked deep — the Hornets short-passing attack was ineffective with Rampy and Andre Sloan El combining for 89 passing yards.
Sloan El and Rampy should have the chance to get back on track this week against Central Missouri’s defense, which has allowed the most passing yards this season in the MIAA.
The Mules gave up 392 passing yards last week against Pittsburg State in a 49-28 loss.
“We didn't have our eyes in the right place,” UCM coach Willie Fritz said. “Guys were trying to do things that were not required, not looking at the right area... Over the top have really hurt us. Last week there were four plays where we basically didn't defend them.”
Pitt State’s quarterback Mark Smith had success against the Mules scrambling around and then finding a receiver down field. Garin Higgins has the perfect quarterbacks to exploit such a weakness.
With Sloan El’s status questionable because of an ankle sprain, Rampy is the probable starter on Saturday and was taking the snaps on Thursday with the first-team offense. Rampy plays best when moving around and improvising and Higgins has implemented the scramble drill in practice more so this week than usual.
“When you use Zach, you have to get him set up differently than you do Sloan El, because Sloan El can drop back and throw it down the field,” Higgins said. “With us having a young offensive line and with a 5-9 quarterback, that’s probably not the smartest thing to do.”
The ESU offense was stagnant in the second half against MSSU until Rampy’s first possession. Rampy drove the Hornets down the field with a 22-yard run and then the 29-yard pass to Partridge that took the Hornets to the MSSU 4. On the play, Rampy was forced out of the pocket and it appeared he was going to tuck the ball and run when he threw over the top to Partridge at the last second.
“With Rampy in there scrambling around, the defense has to choose which one,” Partridge said. “If they bite up on Rampy, he can throw it up over the top and if not, he can run.”
Emporia State’s offense has moved the ball well in the first half the last two week but the Hornets have struggled once they get in the red zone. Matt Perry attempted four field goals in the first half against MSSU, making three, and Perry made another field goal on the Hornets only trip to the red zone in the second half. Settling for field goals ended up being the difference in the end with the Hornets losing by one point.
“We’re just a young football team right now that doesn’t know how to close the deal,” Higgins said. “We have yet to learn how to finish.”
Rampy added, “This week we’ve got to take advantage. We can’t get in the red zone and settle for field goals. We’ve got to put the ball in the end zone. If we can do that, we can give our defense a better chance to win than we did last week.”
The UCM offense vs. the ESU defense
Emporia State has the top scoring defense in the MIAA, holding opponents to 17.4 points per game. ESU’s defense also leads the league in sacks and red zone defense.
The Hornets will be tested this week against the second-best scoring offense in the league. The Mules average 36 points per game and Eric Czerniewski leads the MIAA with 14 touchdowns and is second in the conference in passing efficiency and passing yards.
Czerniewski, a junior, is a second-year starter and Fritz said he is able to do a lot of checks at the line of scrimmage because of his experience. The Mules throw a lot of high percentage short passes and then rely on their receivers to break tackles and get yardage after the catch. The Hornets have been successful this year at not allowing big plays.
“Our guys have been disciplined, keeping everything in front of them, not letting anything get behind them,” ESU defensive coordinator Ken Gordon said. “And when they do catch the ball, coming up and tackling them.”
While Czerniewki has put up the big number this year, Glenn Milner was the Mules player to watch coming into the season after running for 1,146 yards and 18 touchdowns last season.
“The running back is what sets up their passing game,” Gordon said. “Their running game is really good. As far as their passing game, he’s the one that sets that up. They throw a lot of high percentage passes like slip screens, rockets, lot of high-lows. They don’t really throw a lot of deep balls.”
About Central Missouri
The Mules are ranked No. 22 in the country and are 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the MIAA. Central Missouri has won five straight home games. This is the sixth straight year the Mules have come into the ESU game following a loss. The Mules have won eight straight against the Hornets.
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